What makes “great teaching”? It’s a complicated question, made more difficult by trying to measure how teachers make decisions in the classroom and what impact those decisions have on what pupils learn…

We stumped up, now we get to stamp.
Stamp via filmfoto/ShutterstockMay 28, 2014

The recent University Alliance report on quality in higher education brings into sharp focus one of the major issues facing contemporary UK higher education: how we ensure that the sector maintains its…

What would you do with $1m? One lucky teacher may have to start thinking. Entries are now open for a new $1m Global Teacher Prize, launched by the Varkey GEMS Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Dubai-based…

Would you admit to being a teacher?
David Davies/PA Wire/Press Association ImagesFebruary 3, 2014

Are you a teacher? When you are at a party, a wedding or in the pub, and asked: “What do you do for a living?” – what do you say? Why might you lie? Is it too boring? Too complicated? Much too likely to…

Universities are increasing the number of academics who focus on teaching, not research.
Lecturer image from www.shutterstock.comJanuary 22, 2014

In 1988, then-federal education minister John Dawkins almost doubled the number of Australian universities. Dawkins did this by by merging colleges of advanced education and institutes of technology into…

There are now many sites that allow students to “review” their lecturers – but is this a good thing?
shutterstockJanuary 21, 2014

A number of years ago as a PhD student, I was told that you must “publish or perish”. The advice was clear: teaching should be secondary in any considerations. Instead, I should prioritise producing as…

We’ve all had good teachers… and bad ones. But how do you define quality teaching?
Lecture image from www.shutterstock.comJanuary 20, 2014

Do you have a good university lecturer? What makes them good? Is it because they make their classes relevant? Are their lectures interesting or challenging? Or maybe they’re just fun to be around? Good…